To add flavor, some companies add sugar. As you can imagine, this isn’t good for your body. Too much sugar is bad for many reasons. (27)(28)

But even the artificial sweeteners are no better for you. They may not have calories, but studies show that they’re associated with diabetes, heart disease, depression, obesity, and other diseases. (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)

In short, low-fat and non-fat products replace healthy, natural fats with artificial ingredients that are bad for your health. Don’t fall for the trap!

Final Thoughts: Low-fat products are far from a healthy alternative to natural fat-containing foods. They’re highly processed and are often filled to the brim with unhealthy artificial sweeteners. It’s better to eat regular fat-containing foods in moderation.

Eat Several Small Meals During the Day

This is one of those myths that just won’t seem to die—no matter how much evidence piles up against it.

The idea behind this lie is that you eat many small meals through the day so that your metabolism stays high.

Research has proven this lie wrong time and time again. Studies comparing subjects who eat many meals and those who eat few meals show there’s no difference. (35)(36)

On the contrary, studies have shown that eating more meals leads to more hunger and less fullness than eating fewer, larger meals. (37)(38)

Going without eating for a while allows for a process known as autophagy.

Waste is cleared out of our cells. Thus, fasting every now and then is beneficial. (39)(40)

There are even observational studies showing a lower risk of colon cancer for those who eat fewer meals. In one study, data found a 90% higher chance of colon cancer among those who ate four meals per day than those who ate only two. (41)(42)(43)

Final Thoughts: The idea that it’s better to eat a bunch of small meals during the day simply doesn’t hold up. It’s good to fast once in a while. Higher meal frequency is even linked to colon cancer.

Fatty Foods Make You Fat

Perhaps the reason this myth persists is because it sounds logical at first. The fat in food becomes belly fat, right?

Leaving the nutrition myths aside – the truth is more subtle. Although fat has more calories than protein and carbs, high-fat foods by themselves don’t make you fat.

It might be surprising to learn, but it’s easier to lose weight with high-fat, low-carb diets than with diets that are low in fat. (44)(45)

When you eat fat, you enhance your body’s ability to burn fat. If you only eat carbs, what you’re doing is training your body to become efficient at burning carbs.

Reducing fat intake also deprives you of the hormone adiponectin. This hormone increases your metabolism, helping your burn fat at a faster rate.

It also curbs your appetite. But you need a moderate amount of fat in your diet to get adiponectin. (46)(47)

Also, keep in mind that fat is simply more filling than carbs. Fat is satiating; it keeps you from feeling hungry all the time.

If you think about it, the foods that must satisfy hunger are rich in healthy fat: meats, cheese, nuts, avocados, and fatty fish. (48)(49)

When you eat fat, your small intestine sends out signals that release appetite-controlling hormones. (50)

In this way, fatty foods stop hunger dead in its tracks. You eat less and are better able to manage your weight.

Final Thoughts: Fats aren’t your enemy. Eating excessive carbs is more likely to make you gain weight than a high-fat diet that’s low in carbs.

Don’t Eat Eggs

Why do these supposed “experts” keep vilifying healthy foods? One of the biggest examples of their penchant for dietary slander is with eggs.

Nutrition myths tell you eggs are bad because of cholesterol. They say this leads to heart disease.

Thankfully, we have real scientists doing real research and fighting nutrition myths.

Findings from studies tell us that cholesterol in the food you eat doesn’t raise your blood cholesterol. (51)(52)

The reality is the very opposite: eggs raise the “good” type of cholesterol, not the bad kind associated with heart disease.

Too Much Protein Harms Your Kidneys and Bones

While eating protein increases short-term calcium excretion from your bones, the long-term effect is just the opposite.

When it comes to the long-term, protein is associated with bone health and low risk of fractures. (56)(57)

The research shows no correlation between high protein and kidney disease. Instead, studies show that following a high protein diet helps against diabetes and high blood pressure—two of the chief causes of kidney failure. (58)(59)(60)(61)

Thus, protein doesn’t contribute to osteoporosis and kidney failure. It protects you from them!

Also, your nails, hair, and skin are mostly made of protein, so you need to consume plenty of protein to keep those parts of your body in order.

This is one reason protein powders like those from Isagenix are so popular.

Final Thoughts: Eating the right amount of protein improves your bone health and reduces the possibility of fracture. Another major benefit of a high protein diet is that it lowers your blood pressure, and alleviates diabetes symptoms, both of which work to prevent kidney failure.

Low-Carb Diets Are Risky

A lot of people out there have a negative idea about low-carb diets. But the fact is a low-carb diet has many advantages over a low-fat diet.

While low-fat diets sound like a good idea, it just doesn’t work well against obesity and disease.

Research shows that low-carb diets offer a number of benefits. They reduce body fat even while the dieter eats as much as he wants.

Low-carb diets lower blood pressure and blood sugar and assist with the symptoms of diabetes much better than low-fat diets. (66)(67)(68)(69)(70)

With a low-carb diet, you do better at increasing “good” HDL cholesterol while lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol. You even lower your triglycerides.

Plus, low-carb diets are easier to stick to since you’re not constantly limiting your calorie intake. It’s hard to keep a diet when you feel hungry all the time.

Final Thoughts: Low-carb diets are a much better way to lose weight than low-fat diets. Low-carb diets curb your hunger, help with cholesterol, and reverse metabolic disease. They’re also better for people with diabetes.

Grains Are for Everyone

It’s a silly idea that everyone should base their diets on grain.

Keep in mind that the agricultural revolution happened rather recently.

Our genes are still used to the kind of eating with did pre-agriculture.

Compared to fruits and vegetables, grains are pretty low in nutrients. And they come with a lot of phytic acid, a substance that binds minerals in the intestine—preventing them from getting absorbed properly.

Wheat, the most popular grain in the western world, causes a long list of health problems.

The kind of wheat we eat nowadays contains large amounts of the protein gluten. Unfortunately, many people are sensitive to gluten.

Final Thoughts: High carb diets don’t work. They don’t help you lose weight and can be dangerous for people with conditions like diabetes.

Conclusion about Nutrition Myths

There’s an abundance of nutrition myths out there. They start with bad science or mistaken “conventional wisdom,” which then gets perpetuated by parroting “experts.”

You don’t have to avoid eggs, meat or natural fatty foods. Contrary to what many mainstream gurus tell you, the high-carb, low-fat diet isn’t always the best way to control your weight. In fact, it can be the worst way.

Now that you’re informed about nutrition myths, you can make smarter choices and enjoy a healthier, slimmer body!